[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/xRj8oPR.png[/img] [img]http://i68.tinypic.com/63x8xz.jpg[/img] [h2][color=a2d9ce]Callan[/color] | [color=00a99d]Ernie[/color][/h2] [hr][color=silver]𝕄: π•Šπ•–π•‘π•₯. πŸ™πŸœ, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘 / / π•Œπ•Šπ”Έβ„π•€π•ƒβ„• 𝔼𝕒𝕀π•₯ / / β„‚π•’π•žπ•‘π•¦π•€ / / πŸ™πŸœπŸ™πŸ˜[/color][hr][sub]Collab with [@Baklava][@banjoanjo][/sub][/center] [color=f7976a]β€œThe striker team will remain out of the engagement zone until enough of Factory's creations have been baited and annihilated to allow unhindered access to Factory itself. Deployment will commence once appropriate."[/color] [color=a2d9ce][i]Fuck.[/i][/color] Callan balled her hands up into fists as she listened to the plan. She'd have to sit in the back and wait for her turn to fight. While the others went ahead and took on a [i]swarm[/i] of those things? Her mind buzzed with discontent. She wanted to protest. To explain that she could easily take on those contraptions AND 'Factory'. (Probably.) But Kardos was an intimidating figure. Not that she was physically scared of him, of course, but it felt wrong to so blatantly go against authority like that. Especially when it came from a man who, like Zhang, seemed to have it exuding from every pore. Gathering her things, Callan's eyes wondered towards Sander and Chris-- as they had several times throughout the briefing. She noticed right away that Sander had forgotten his gear. Forgetfulness or overconfidence? She snatched it up, but before she could pass it off, the soldiers were already marching them into the trucks. Leaving little wiggle room. Fortunately, her usual crowd managed to gravitate towards the same area. Taking her seat between Ernie and Siena, Callan refrained from being too chipper. An easy task most of the time-- including this one. She noticed Grant and Building Cleaver sitting across from her as well as Brent on the other side of Siena. She wasn't very familiar with any of them and didn't want to mess with whatever mojo they might have going. Pulling her earbuds from her pocket and starting to untangle them, Callan turned to look at Ernie, softly nudging his arm to catch his attention. "[color=a2d9ce]Hey,[/color]" she smiled tentatively, speaking in a low volume, "[color=a2d9ce]You alright?[/color]" Ernie had chosen a seat in a far corner to give Sander and Christmas the option of staying the hell away from him. He didn't need the added stress of that particular situation, since there were so many other things to occupy his mind. His bulky belt had been taken off for now, resting at the top of the backpack by the bundle of Wishalloy he'd been given. Sitting around with all that equipment around his waist did not sound like it would make a comfortable three hour drive. Ernie fiddled with the buckles of his helmet, clasping and unclasping them around the outer straps of the backpack that weighed down on his lap. Simple, rhythmic motions. It was soothing, in a way. Hopefully the truck would be loud enough so that the clicking wouldn't annoy anyone. Truth be told, the truck chamber only served to remind Ernie how real everything was. He would be in the line of fire soon, even with the tactical position he'd been given. Talking happy like what he'd done at breakfast would be almost impossible soon. It was getting harder to talk like there was going to be an 'after the mission', to smile and plan future hangouts as if they weren't about to go up against a hulking metal beast and meet their deaths. Cal's presence next to him was a reminder of that. Yeah, it was getting harder to smile too, but she was able to manage it. Cal was strong so she could do it. So he guessed that the good thing to do to smile back. [color=00a99d]"Eh,"[/color] the corners of the Aberration's mouth flickered upwards, [color=00a99d]"Nervous. Last time I had to sit on a long drive was when we got trucked to East. These seats get kinda sore after a while. How about you? Your nap make you feel any better?"[/color] "[color=a2d9ce]Yeah,[/color]" she nodded. [i]Me, too.[/i] She watched his expression carefully, eyebrows briefly creasing with effort. He really did seem alright, didn't he? As personal as their conversation earlier had seemed, she really didn't know Ernie all that well. But she'd easily decided she knew him well enough to want him to be okay. To come out of this alive. "[color=a2d9ce]I'm alright. Nap did me a whole lot of good,[/color]" she shrugged and sank back in her seat, turning her attention to the cords in her hands again. Trying to untangle them while looking at Ernie hadn't done her any favors. [color=00a99d]"That's good to hear,"[/color] he replied simply not expanding any further on the subject. Talking about how nervous you were never made things better. He looked to Cal looking at him, then to her clumsy efforts at untangling her earphones. The sight brought a genuine note of amusement to his expression. Ernie nodded to her hands. [color=00a99d]"What do you listen to to get you pumped up?"[/color] "[color=a2d9ce]Never actually been a huge fan of super-hype music,[/color]" she smiled, making some progress, "[color=a2d9ce]I like the relaxing stuff. Soft hip hop... R&B... chillstep,[/color]" she stifled a yawn as her fingers kept working. "[color=a2d9ce]I dunno. Lots more. You?[/color]" What the heck was a chillstep? Ernie nodded politely, acknowledging internally that he probably shouldn't ask to listen along to whatever she was about to listen to with those still-tangled earphones. He shrugged. And as for what kind of music he liked... [color=00a99d][i]Whatever Liam felt like listening to.[/i][/color] [color=00a99d]"Rock and stuff like that, mostly. I like having something upbeat to listen to in the morning. But I like the old-timey jazz stuff too. Helps me get to sleep sometimes."[/color] It probably wasn't a good idea to mention that his like of the 'old-timey' stuff had come from his parents. Better to keep the talk simple. Something to take the edge off of both their minds. "[color=a2d9ce]Good stuff. Love jazz,[/color]" she grinned, but immediately set her jaw as she ran into another cord-based obstacle. Daintily tugging at the seemingly impossible knot, she muttered, "[color=a2d9ce]I'd love to listen to anything if I could just... get this... stupid...[/color]" The rest of her sentence got lost somewhere in the loops. [color=00a99d]"Ooh, really? That's cool. My friends always said I didn't look like the type to like it,"[/color] Ernie chuckled. Geez, she was taking a while to unravel that knot. And why the heck was she pulling on it like that? Whatever, this was getting tiring to watch. He reached over to take the pair from her with a [color=00a99d]"Here, let me"[/color], trying to unwork the knot from the plug instead. Huh, this was harder than it looked. [color=00a99d]"Earphones are such a pain sometimes, right?"[/color] he said, grinning as he handed the untangled pair back to Cal, [color=00a99d]"Do you have any singers you like? Etta James is always a classic for me."[/color] "[color=a2d9ce]At last![/color]" she smiled knowingly. "[color=a2d9ce]Oh my God, THANK you,[/color]" Callan scoffed at herself, shaking her head as she plugged the buds into her phone, "[color=a2d9ce]Yeah. They are. I just don't want to break 'em. This is my fifth pair.[/color]" "[color=a2d9ce]Alicia Keys is my go-to.[/color]" [color=00a99d]"Yeah, yeah, that one!"[/color] Ernie laughed. His spirits were lifting gradually with every passing second of conversation. It was nice, [color=00a99d]"I haven't listened to her in a while, I think. Besides the stuff that's on the radio."[/color] That name meant almost nothing to him. Guess that's what happened when you spent seven years with no reliable source of internet connection and only a handful of radio stations to pass the time. Ernie was going to sound more and more out of touch if this topic went on. [color=00a99d]"I hope you don't mean fifth pair since you arrived at East. You didn't try switching earphone brands?"[/color] Callan laughed, "[color=a2d9ce]Breaking things is kind of like my other super power. And it doesn't discriminate between brands. Before I came here, I'd been using the same skullcandies for like three years.[/color]" [color=00a99d]"Three years is pretty impressive. I have to buy new ones every few months."[/color] The anxious buckling of the helmet clasp had stopped by now. Ernie smirked. [color=00a99d]"Hey, we've got that fancy wishalloy stuff. Maybe you could ask Heph to make you a pair of unbreakable earphones!"[/color] "[color=a2d9ce]I wish![/color]" Callan sniggered, still trying to keep her voice down. As the conversation rolled on, she forgot now and again, but didn't ultimately feel that bad. Marcus had Emma, Siena apparently had Chris, and-- for now-- she had Ernie. Just as friends, of course. They talked more about music and the frustrations of 21st century technology until the sway of the truck rendered Callan too tired for words. Falling into silence, she put her buds in and, glancing at rows of knees and shoes, simply listened. Arms folded, she eventually started nodding off-- or trying to. Three restless shiftings in her seat later and she finally gave in to the allure of Ernie's shoulder. Ernie froze as he felt a warm weight settle on his right side, roused from the gentle haze his own earphones and music had brought. Was she really sleeping now? Only hours or so after her last nap? And on his stupidly bony shoulder of all places? [color=00a99d][i]She really is superhuman.[/i][/color] His friends at West had always joked that he could pierce a lung with his elbow. Sharp corners were just a consequence of never eating more than what he was used to back in Reno. He chuckled silently, careful not to shake his body too much in case he woke the girl. Here he was, on his way to a Category 3 mission, and he was thinking back on stupid jokes instead of his impending doom. Guess he had Cal and her conversation to thank for that. Was it weird, for her to be resting on him so suddenly? No, it just meant that she trusted him. That they really were friends. The pang of guilt he should've felt from that realisation was easily brushed aside. There were other things to think about. And it wasn't like he minded that she was using him as a pillow anyway, as long as he didn't get any of that hair in his mouth. Or drool onto his jacket. That would be a nightmare. Besides, he had said it himself. Long drives made him sore. With the monotonous bumping and swaying easing a bored yawn out of him, a nap seemed like a very good idea. So he settled into his seat. He hugged his backpack a little tighter and he let his eyes flicker to a close as his head drooped forward and his earbuds rang with the gentle voice of Etta James. He slept with a peaceful, grateful smile still resting on his face.